Box Score
BOSTON, Mass.—Marissa Spinuzzi's walk-off single into the winds capped off a four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead #2 UMass Dartmouth past #5 Softball 6-5 in the Little East Conference Opening Round.
THE BASICS
#2 UMass Dartmouth 6, #5 UMass Boston 5
(UMass Boston 19-18)
(UMass Dartmouth 27-13)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After racing out to leads of 3-0 and 5-2, UMass Boston saw their lead slip away as the conditions worsened. The Corsairs struck for four runs in the bottom of the seventh, with the final run crossing the plate on a routine popup, that got lost in the wind for a walk-off single.
The Beacons will now head into an elimination game on Friday at 11 a.m., as they will take on sixth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University at Keene State College. UMass Dartmouth will take on fourth-seeded Western Connecticut State at 3 p.m. on Friday at Keene State.
Junior Gia Raczkowski (Stoneham, Mass.) led the Beacons in the loss, with a three-run homer and a walk. Fellow junior Kaitlyn Morse (Arlington, Mass.) added two doubles and two runs scored, while Roxanne Vento (Arlington, Mass.) and Lauren Mitsiaris (Taunton, Mass.) each had an RBI in the loss.
In the circle, Annie Thomas (Lunenburg, Mass.) was the tough-luck loser. She fell to 10-9 after giving up nine hits and six earned runs in 6.2 innings. Thomas struck out five batters to set the UMass Boston single-season mark with 130 in a single-season.
Senior ace Shannon Orton earned the win in relief, as she allowed one hit and two walks in 5.1 relief innings. Sophomore Hannah Smith started the game for the Corsairs and lasted just 1.2 innings, while allowing six hits and five earned runs.
Junior catcher Gracie Trudeau led the Corsairs offensive attack with three hits in four at-bats and two runs scored. Spinuzzi and freshman center fielder Maddie O'Gryzek added two hits, one run and one scored each to lead UMass Dartmouth to their program-record 27th win of the season.
It took UMass Boston just nine pitches to grab the lead in the top of the first inning. The Beacons who were the designated road team playing on their home field, got a lead-off double from Morse and then Kristina Bove (Medford, Mass.) worked a six-pitch walk. On the second pitch she saw, Raczkowski clubbed a three-run homer over the left-field fence for a 3-0 lead.
UMass Dartmouth answered with two key runs in the bottom half of the inning. Trudeau reached on a one out single and moved to third on Spinuzzi's swinging bunt that resulted in an infield single. With both runners in scoring position and two down, Orton deposited a two-run single just in front of Raczkowski in right field to make it 3-2.
The Beacons responded in the top of the second to push the lead back to three. Taylor Pawlina (Woonsocket, R.I.) singled with one out and moved to third on a double from Morse. With the bases loaded and two down, Vento popped up a ball in front of the pitcher Smith and the wind made it uncatchable, allowing Pawlina to score. With the bases still loaded, Smith gave up a bases-loaded walk to Mitsiaris, before being replaced by Orton. Orton stopped the bleeding, as she got a groundout to first base to strand the bases loaded.
UMass Dartmouth had their next best chance to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the third. Trudeau led off with a single and was subbed out for pinch runner Rachelle Bator. Jill Miller followed with a double to left center field, but the Beacons gunned down Bator at the plate on a perfect relay throw home by St. Angelo to get the base runner. Thomas got the next two outs to strand Miller at third and to keep the score 5-2.
From there, Thomas allowed just one walk over the next three innings, as she retired nine in a row and 10 of 11 heading into the seventh.
With the winds continuing to blow and the rains finally picking up in the seventh, UMass Dartmouth's comeback bid finally came through. The Corsairs started the rally with a one-out full count walk and then O'Gryzek cut the deficit to 5-3 with an RBI double over the head of the Beacons' left fielder. Emily Colton followed with a sacrifice fly to right, with O'Gryzek just barely beating the throw home.
Trudeau kept the Corsairs alive with a single up the middle and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a full count walk to Miller put the game-winning run on first, both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. A third wild pitch brought in Trudeau to tie it at 5-5. Spinuzzi then sent a high pop into the sky and the wind blew the ball well off course, to easily score pinch runner Adi Alicea Cordero for a 6-5 win.
BY THE NUMBERS
- UMass Dartmouth earned their first playoff win since 2006 and improved to 4-10 all-time in the LEC Tournament. The Beacons fall to 1-10, with their lone win coming in 2011.
- Thomas set the program-record for strikeouts (126) with her first-inning strikeout of Briana Flaherty. Thomas' 130 strikeouts rank first in a single-season and sixth for a career.
- Morse's first-inning double was her 100th collegiate hit. She becomes the 11th player in program history to reach the mark.
- Raczkowski now sits in sole possession of fourth place in program history for career home run with eight.
WHO'S NEXT
The #5 Beacons will look to defeat #6 Eastern Connecticut State University for a third time on Friday. UMass Boston earned their first-ever two wins against the Warriors on April 10, with wins of 8-4 and 9-8 in Connecticut.
